


purrfect exchanges

by cosmothetic



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Fluff, M/M, please read notes before you judge, there isn’t much to it really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 08:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15703236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmothetic/pseuds/cosmothetic
Summary: look what the cat dragged in... (spoiler alert: it's a note from an amusing stranger who kihyun is absolutely smitten with)





	purrfect exchanges

“You know I’m not fond of cats,” Kihyun says as he takes his friend’s feline into his arms.

“Too bad, there’s no way you’re getting out of this now,” Minhyuk replies, pulling his mouth in a straight line. “Before you know it, two weeks will have passed and you’ll go back to being your sad, lonely self.”

Kihyun forces a smile and decides to only greet Minhyuk farewell, ignoring the last remark. He then moves to his car where he carefully places the cat in the passenger seat and onto its lilac bed. Kihyun then moves to his own seat and drives him and his temporary companion back to his apartment building. Taking all the cat’s belongings first, cussing in his head about how spoiled the little critter is to have all this junk, he finally finishes, plops on the couch and observes Monmon that is roaming around to get more familiar with the place. It’s been an uneventful day since then and Kihyun decides to head to bed at a reasonable time for the first time in years, so that he can get up a bit earlier than usual now that he has another mouth to feed. The next morning is absolutely no hassle – Kihyun thinks he may have underestimated the cat solely since it belongs to _Minhyuk_ , but Monmon is, to his surprise, rather well behaved.

When Kihyun has to leave the apartment, he instantly wishes he could climb back into his bed, under the safety of his sheets, as the cold hits him like a sharp slap in the face. As much as he loves routine and sticking by it, there are times where he feels a bit suffocated by doing the same old same old every single day. He occasionally goes out with his friends, but they tend to follow the masses and he’s never been one for crowds, so he’s always the first to go home. Kihyun is an honest person, but also extremely selfless and when he knows his friends are happy and having a good time, he wouldn’t consider ruining their fun just for him. Other than that, he’s mainly focused on his work. To him, every month is simply about earning enough money to pay rent. He isn’t necessarily happy with these circumstances and longs for a bit of excitement in his life - be it in the form of a person - but it’s routine and Kihyun has always been good at sticking to routine.

A long day at work passes and he finds himself feeling quite glad about returning to a non-empty house; however, when he gets back, the house is, in fact, empty. After searching the apartment about three times in complete panic mode, he realises he left the window open and rushes outside, meeting the unpleasant cold again; this time he doesn’t think about it for a second and simply rushes down the stairs, trying to see whether the little shit might be trying to get into other people’s apartments. Sadly, when he reaches the ground floor, he is still Monmon-less. The panic worsens, thoughts about the cat being run over comes to mind and he immediately rushes up the stairs, praying to whatever god is looking down on this messy situation that the cat will have made its way back. When he opens the door, he lets out the biggest sigh of relief as his eyes land on Monmon walking around as if he didn’t just give Kihyun the fright of his life.

He picks the cat up, looks him straight in his hazel eyes and says in the most serious tone, “Don’t you ever do that to me again, you shit.”

While the cat is in his firm grasp, a small piece of paper attached to its teal collar catches Kihyun's attention. He gently puts the cat down, pulls off the note and opens it.

“I didn’t steal your friend, he willingly came to me and I can guarantee he enjoyed my company. Also, I’ve never seen him around, is he a new addition?”

Kihyun smiles at this without realising, probably because it’s been so long since someone new has talked to him, and even though it’s not direct communication and he has absolutely no idea who this person is. Judging by the last sentence, though, he can tell it’s someone living in the same building. Tearing a piece of paper and grabbing a pen, he starts to write his response.

“Babysitting for a friend. Thanks for sparing my life by not keeping the little fucker. Luckily, I can trust you both, so I’ll leave the window open again (this time on purpose) so this can get to you.”

He leaves it on the table, where he won't be able to miss it before leaving for work the next day. With that, he’s off to bed.

 

______________________________

 

The morning goes smoothly and the note isn’t forgotten. Kihyun stops to wonder whether this might be too weird – communicating with a complete stranger – but he goes through with it regardless. It’s not like there’s anything to lose and there _is_ the possibility that if he finds out more about this person and they don’t happen to be triple his age, that they could, maybe, become very good friends!

Coming back home, he finds the cat to be there already. And with a new note.

“I’ve never gained a stranger’s trust before. I feel proud... I guess. And I guess it would be nice not to be strangers anymore. I’m Chae Hyungwon, 25, my apartment number is 76 (I can’t believe I’m doing this, but maybe you know me already.).”

That... doesn’t ring any bell; however, Kihyun is relieved that the guy is the exact same age as him and is only one level beneath him. He then starts with his reply.

“Nice to meet you, Hyungwon. I’m Yoo Kihyun, also 25, apartment 82 (it looks like I have the higher ground).”

And so it continues. Becoming a part of Kihyun’s daily routine – his favourite part if he’s being honest. They still haven’t managed to run into each other and as the days until Minhyuk’s return become fewer and fewer, he gets worried about whether Hyungwon might not want to continue talking to him once the cat leaves. Even though they’re getting to know each other a lot through these notes and it’s evident that their sense of humour is very similar, he still wonders whether it’s enough for his pen pal to want to stay in touch. Kihyun can’t deny his need to meet Hyungwon in person. The way he makes him feel as if he’s known him all his life and the playfulness in his notes makes Kihyun feel ecstatic and he’s pretty much hooked on it; however, he is still unsure whether it can be called a crush, since he’s never seen the guy and if he turns out to be as attractive as his personality, then it would most likely result in disappointment about Kihyun’s more-cute-than-cool looks. Whatever this unfamiliar, but exciting, feeling is, Kihyun cannot deny that Hyungwon has filled a definite void in his heart.

He tries his best to ignore all the concerns and more time passes until eventually there is only one day left until the cat has to return to its rightful owner. He thinks long and carefully about what he should write this time, and then he starts,

“I should probably let you know that this is the last time I can write to you via Monmon. My friend will be taking him home tomorrow morning. In case you want to stay in touch, you can meet me at my door tomorrow at 5 pm; if not, well... then... I’ll be pretty damn sad.”

He lets out a sigh when he’s done, a bit nervous that he might not be persuasive enough, but his stress levels are so high that he couldn’t think of putting it any differently.

 

______________________________

 

Kihyun is up early the next day with only one thing in mind... Minhyuk would undoubtedly be offended that it isn’t the thought of him returning, but Kihyun can’t care less about anything that isn’t related to Hyungwon at the moment. Once the cat gets returned and Kihyun is on his own again, he realises the difference Monmon made and he does feel a bit down about its leave, but that doesn’t last long and his thoughts go back to Hyungwon.

“Why did I choose 5pm?” He asks himself as he looks at the time, realising there are still 6 hours to go until then. His method of passing time isn’t too great, but he decides to clean the house. 3 hours later and he’s back to not knowing what to do. He wonders if it’s too early to decide on what to wear. When he stands in front of his closet, he remembers there’s a chance the guy might not even show up. The thought ties knots in his stomach so he tries to shake it off and focus on putting an outfit together. He simply goes with a black and dark grey striped sweater tucked in black jeans that goes along with black boots. It might be a bit on the emo side, he thought, but he feels most confident in dark colours. When that’s done, he can only think of killing time with Sudoku puzzles and cooking shows.

It works and before he knows it, it’s quarter to 5. And he is _stressed_. He doesn’t know what to expect if there even is anything to expect. The nervousness consuming him is completely new, just like the way Hyungwon makes him feel, except this is not as nice... not remotely. He paces around his living room, in front of the front door, wishing he could just go out and face whatever outcome he will be faced with. He keeps his eyes glued on his phone screen to count off the minutes.

One minute. He stops in front of his door. Reaching his hand out to the doorknob, ready to open it as soon as the last minute comes to an end. He can feel his heart in his throat and he needs to remind himself to breathe. Suddenly, time’s up. He opens the door and what he sees in front of him makes his eyes expand wider than ever. A tall, lanky, drop-dead beautiful man with black hair perfectly parted to the side, who’s leaning slightly forward with his hand raised as if he still wants to knock. Both seem to have frozen, but they suddenly relax at the same time, and their faces break out into smiles (breaking the ice with it).

“Hyungwon,” is all Kihyun seems to get out with the most foolish, as well as most genuine, smile remaining on his face. It’s definitely a crush, he decides.

“Kihyun,” the other replies and his smile seems to get even bigger as if they’re unknowingly competing against each other to see who can look the most foolishly happy. While trying to restrain as much as he can, he adds, “Judging by that look on your face, you really would have been pretty damn sad if I didn’t show up.”

Kihyun then feels the tips of his ears turning red and maybe his cheeks too; he’s not used to getting this flustered and all he can mutter is a simple “shut up” which causes Hyungwon to giggle slightly. This makes Kihyun wonder that if his gentle laugh can sound that heavenly, then his hearty laugh will surely melt him into a puddle, but it will definitely be worth hearing, regardless of the consequence.

“Does coffee sound good to you?” Hyungwon asks, the corners of his lips still stuck upwards. Kihyun, of course, can’t say no, so they head down, get in Hyungwon’s car and drive to Kihyun’s recommended cafe. When they’re seated inside with their warm beverages in hand, the conversation starts to flow instantly and it’s even more comfortable than it was with the notes; better, too, in the sense that they could see and hear how much they actually make each other laugh.

“Ok, I have to know...” Kihyun starts, without thinking about how much he could regret what he’s about to ask, “What was your impression of me the moment you saw me? Were you disappointed? And be honest.”

“100% honest?” Hyungwon says with lifted brows.

Kihyun nods, but now he realises how terribly this can turn out for him and his already low confidence.

“Well,” Hyungwon says, eyes directed downwards to his drink, “you turned out to be a lot cuter than expected,” he then manages to look up again. “But you were also a lot shorter than I pictured you to be.”

“You’re just obnoxiously tall!” Kihyun snaps with a major frown; the first comment may have caused his heart to pound hard enough for Hyungwon to hear, but height will always be a touchy subject for him.

“You’re even cute when you’re angry,” Hyungwon says with a mix of fondness and playfulness in his voice, his head rested in his hand, followed by a smile so big his cheeks rise completely – which Kihyun finds annoyingly adorable.

Being as flustered as he is, he simply huffs. The conversation, including the bickering, then proceeds as the evening progresses until one point where they realise the barista is dropping very unsubtle hints that they want to start closing up already.

"That’s our cue, I suppose,” Hyungwon states while standing up. “This one’s on me.”

“Ok, but I’m paying next time,” Kihyun says and notices the smile growing on Hyungwon’s face. “What did I say?”

“Nothing...” Hyungwon says with the same fond/playful tone as earlier. “I’m just glad there’s going to be a next time.”

Kihyun isn’t sure whether Hyungwon meant to say it as straightforward as he did, but he can’t help but cheese with him.

On the ride back, Hyungwon tosses his phone onto Kihyun’s lap while adding “you know what to do” with an unmissable grin on his face. Kihyun suddenly becomes aware of how much his face hurts from smiling and wonders if Hyungwon’s feels the same.

The walk back to his apartment is rather gloomy, which isn’t fully to blame on the dimly lit building, but it was strange for Kihyun how he could enjoy someone’s company to the extent that it actually saddens him to part ways, even though he realises how dramatic he might be considering they live so close to each other. Regardless, Kihyun wishes the evening didn’t have to come to an end.

“Thank you for showing up,” is the first thing Kihyun can think to say when they finally reach his door.

“We can’t forget to thank Monmon. I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of meeting you if it wasn't for that sneaky devil," Hyungwon says, and then his voice becomes quieter. "And oddly enough, I can’t even think of a time when we weren’t exchanging notes.”

“Funny how it feels like we’ve known each other since forever, isn’t it?” another impulsive question that escapes Kihyun’s mouth.

Hyungwon responds with an almost inaudible “yes” and a sincere smile. He then takes a deep breath as if he’s recollecting himself.

“Is it funny how badly I want to kiss you right now?”

Kihyun knows what he heard; however, his mind still tells him that he may have misheard Hyungwon, but the flushed cheeks Kihyun is able to see could prove that he heard correctly. Not knowing how to respond with words, Kihyun simply makes the move and closes the space between them. It was a warmth neither of them has ever experienced. When their lips part, they pull away, just enough so that they can look into each other’s eyes and see the foolish smiles from when they first met return to their faces.

“I should warn you that I’m going to continue bothering you every day now. Maybe 24/7,” Hyungwon says, his eyes continuously moving from Kihyun’s eyes to his lips.

“You should know that I’m more than happy to have you bother me because I’m definitely not going to remind you of that.”

“Fair enough,” and this time Hyungwon’s the one to close the gap between them.

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first fic i have ever written! to make it worse, i have only read a handful, so i really have no idea whether i did any of this "right". although i'm aware no one will read this, i still feel like apologising... sorry. this is just pure fluff, but i thought that this might be a good way to start and get the hang of things? i have more creative stories in mind, but this will have to do for now.


End file.
